


Long Island Iced Tea

by KarainRed (orphan_account)



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-16
Updated: 2013-10-16
Packaged: 2017-12-29 13:45:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,249
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1006146
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/KarainRed
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's taken him years – decades, centuries, millennia – but Erd never leaves a debt unpaid.</p><p>Spiritual successor to Parallels.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Long Island Iced Tea

Every Tuesday Günter accompanied a small group of his classmates – never more than five – to the local sports bar _Wings of Freedom_. They would sit together – in a booth or at a table or even sometimes at the bar itself – and order a few drinks, talk for a while, and then part ways.

It was never busy on Tuesdays, the primary reason they chose this night of all nights. The place was nearly deserted most Tuesdays: they usually had their pick of the establishment when it came to where they wanted to sit, and there was never an issue with being unable to hear each other over the raised voices of other groups, as was often the case across the weekends.

Like any number of Tuesdays in the past, and like an uncountable number of Tuesdays in the future, this particular Tuesday found Günter in the _Wings of Freedom_ like always, a tall glass in front of him as he spoke with his classmates about the exam they'd had earlier in the day on juvenile justice. However, this Tuesday obviously didn't plan to remain a normal Tuesday, as one single event was about to kick off a series of events to follow that Günter would have never anticipated.

He finished his drink a while earlier; all that remained in the glass were ice cubes that clinked together each time Günter lifted it and lazily swirled the contents within. He lifted it to his lips out of habit while it was in his hand, letting one of the ice cubes slip past his lips. Chewing absently at the ice cube after placing the glass back on the table, he noticed that it vanished from his peripheral vision. He looked up to comment when a new glass, filled again with a golden brown liquid and ice cubes and garnished with a lemon, was set before him. The blond-haired bartender smiled down at him, speaking up before Günter had the chance to.

"Consider it on the house." He offered Günter a crooked smile, as though there was some hidden secret to his words. He set a napkin down beside the drink before turning away, walking back toward the empty bar he'd left behind.

Günter shrugged when one of his companions asked what the exchange had been about. If he said he had no idea, he wouldn’t have been lying. Aside from ordering his drink, earlier and in past weeks, he couldn't recall ever exchanging any words with the bartender. He quietly pocketed the napkin when no one was looking. He'd seen a smear of blue ink at the paper's edge when it was given to him, and his heart pounded with the assumption of neatly written numbers folded inside.

When he returned home that evening, Günter added the number to his phone under the name _Hot Bartender_.

-

Two days passed before Günter even made an attempt to contact Hot Bartender. He was alone in his apartment when he pulled out his phone, his roommates both out for the afternoon. Pursing his lips, Günter highlighted the number in his phone and hovered his finger over the call button. Taking a deep breath, he pushed it before bringing the phone to his ear.

It rang once, and Günter's heart began to pound in his chest. It rang twice, and Günter began to chew at his lip. With every ring that echoed in his ear, Günter's nerves frayed and his resolve fell, sinking heavy in his gut.

Just after the fifth ring there was a small click. It was followed by a brief pause, and then the ringing in his ears was replaced with a cheerful voice. "Hello. This is Erd Gin, at your service~ What can I do for you?" Günter swallowed, and several moments passed in heavy silence before Hot Bartender – _Erd_ – spoke again. "Hello?"

Günter hung up.

Dropping his phone onto the couch, he stood and moved into the kitchen, beginning to rummage through the cabinets. He opted not to bother with a glass as he found what he was looking for and took a straight shot from the bottle of gin in hopes it might calm his nerves. He shouldn't have looked at it afterwards, the coincidence not lost on Günter before he took another swallow of the clear liquid.

By Friday Günter had renamed _Hot Bartender_ to _Erd Gin_ in his phone.

-

Günter had never dreaded Tuesdays in the past. However, in the past he'd never had to worry over the fact that he would be seeing Erd again, that the blond would be standing behind the bar like he always was, grinning when they came up for their drinks and cheerfully getting to work after confirming _the usual?_

He was worried over nothing. When Erd came to him, setting the tall glass into his hand, there was nothing any different from previous weeks. Günter couldn't help but feel a touch of disappointment when he turned away, walking to the table where his classmates were already gathering. Sitting down, he sipped quietly at his drink as the discussion turned to the two papers that were both due by Friday (Günter, thankfully, only had to write one and sympathized with those writing both).

If everything had gone like usual, perhaps Günter would have forgotten the embarrassment of the previous Thursday. Things never went "like usual" for Günter.

"Hey, are you leaving early?"

Günter tensed when a weight settled across the back of his chair, an arm held parallel to his shoulders as a voice spoke from above and behind him. "Yeah. I've got an exam in the morning, so I got someone to cover for me. I'm going home to study." It would have been easy enough to ignore Erd regardless of the closeness if it weren't for the way the man's fingers reached forward, lightly caressing the back of his shoulder. He couldn't entirely convince himself that it was unconscious or by accident.

"Really? What are you studying?"

"Mm~" It wasn't a hum of thought, but one meant to draw out the silence. Günter wouldn't have minded it, really, if those fingers quit their gentle brushes against the back of his shoulder. Resisting the urge to bury his face into his hands, Günter only prayed his ears weren't as red as they felt. "I'm a psych major.

"But I really have to get going." Slender fingers ghosted across the back of Günter's neck. Günter regretted it when he turned his head to look at the blond who was backing away from them with a grin, because Erd noticed and his grin widened as he gave a quick wink. "I'll see you guys next Tuesday."

Erd was turning away when Günter finally found his voice. "Wait!" The word caused Erd to stop in his tracks, smile still on his lips as he turned back and raised a questioning eyebrow. "Are you doing anything this Saturday?"

Erd laughed. "Call me! If you don't hang up this time, maybe you'll find out." He turned around then, walking toward the door without looking back.

Günter melted in his seat, releasing a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. He only straightened when he noticed everyone staring at him, his ears burning as he asked "What?"

"What was that about, Schultz?"  
"I didn't even know you two knew each other."  
"Günter's got a da~te~"

"It's not a date," he defended, voice dropping to a sheepish mutter, "yet."

By Wednesday night, it most definitely was.


End file.
